Mar 27, 2015

With Easter coming soon, I am re-posting this easy, crowd-pleasing dish from the archives because I LOVE lamb, not just for Easter, but any time of the year.

If rosemary is not your thing, you could use other fresh herbs such as thyme or oregano. Ask your butcher to trim off all the fat for you to make this easier. I like to roll and tie the lamb myself so I can season the inside as well as the out. If you are nervous about doing this, you can just have the butcher do it and just season the outside.

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil and place a rack in the pan.

Combine crushed garlic, rosemary, lemon juice, mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper; mix well and rub mixture all over lamb. Roll the lamb and use butcher's twine to tie it together and place it on the prepared roasting pan.

Roast in the oven until medium-rare and a meat thermometer inserted in center reads 135-140ºF, anywhere from 70 minutes and up depending on the size of your roast. Remove the lamb and let it rest about 15 minutes on a cutting board. Keep in mind the temperature will increase a few degrees once it rests.

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This looks fantastic! I was contemplating making either this or your rack of lamb w/ Dijon glaze this weekend. I noticed the only difference is the agave nectar and the balsamic vinegar. What's the difference in taste? Could you use either marinade for the leg of lamb??

My Mom and Grandma used to make lamb but after mom saw a real one she stopped cooking it !!! The last time I had a great lamb was at dinner in the Twin Towers in NYC. It was great ! Thaks for the recipe. I may just try it on my family or I'll be eating lots of left overs.

Hi Gina, yet another fabulous recipe and photo that makes you want to just climb through your computer .. or lick your screen although I tend to avoid the latter lol .. quick question.. did your lamb come out of the oven that crusted ?? Or did you use any techniques before pictures ? Such as maybe a torch ?

I have NEVER cooked lamb because I thought it would be gamey, as it was the ONE time I've tried it. But this looks so delicious & easy I have to try it out on Easter. It will just be my husband and me this year so a good time to try a new recipe. BTW I love your website! I'm so glad I found you on Pinterest!

I am going to cook this tomorrow for a group of friends as our annual friend Easter Dinner before we all get busy with our families. I have one person that isn't all that fond of Rosemary... I'm not sure I want to skip it all together but what would you think a fresh spice blend of Rosemary, Oregano, and Thyme would be like? Would that be too over powering??

I made this for dinner tonight and it was very good, but I think it could have been better. It was pretty red in the center of our meat, even at 135 degrees, and waiting 15 minutes to cut into it. Can you tell from this picture, did it need to be cooked longer? http://imgur.com/vEkV5 Or is lamb just not very tender in general?

This was simply delicious.I put chicken broth at the bottom of the pan and used the drippings to make a sauce by adding cornstarch. Served with mashed potatoes/cauliflower/carrots and everyone licked their plates. Thanks for sharing.

We made this over the weekend, and it was delicious! Instead of rolling and tying it, we left if as is and threw it on the grill - fabulous and easy! We were surprised at how flavorful each bite was since we only marinated it for a couple of hours. Thanks Gina!

very delicious rub and such an easy recipe! but isn't 130-140 a little rare for leg of lamb? i thought so, but gave it a shot and it was completely raw. put it back in until 160 and it was great. thoughts?

I'm pretty sure I love you...this looks fantastic and is the answer to my Easter dinner woes. Thanks for all the great recipes- I am almost exclusively cooking from your recipes and doing weight watchers which means I am losing pounds and feeling great while eating delicious food!

To grill (smoke) on grill is the best.keep in mind,low and slow is the way to go when smoking lamb. Temp should be 225/250. Smoke time will run about 7-8 hrs. Wrap in foil the last few hours and allow grill to cool. Enjoy.

This looks absolutely delicious! I can't wait to try this. It has a surprisingly fast prep / cook time. I have been wanting to get into lamb but have never cooked with it before, but I'm definitely going to give it a shot.

I was wondering if it is possible to make this in a slow cooker? I live in a studio apt with no oven so I often use the slow cooker for recipes that would normally require an oven. Thanks for your input.

Your photo is beautiful, but I think your finished cooking temperatures are off. If you want medium-rare lamb, you'll need to remove the meat from the oven at about 130º. 135º will give you medium lamb, with almost no pink. As it stands after removing it from the oven a big piece of boneless meat will continue to cook. Lamb is WONDERFUL eaten rare to medium rare. I first had it served rare in France, and I think the reason so many Americans eschew lamb is that its so often served overdone here.